वन्दे मातरम् - series III - ghatam

A ghatam is a.percussion instrument, used in South Indian Carnatic music. It is an earthenware pot; the artist uses the fingers, thumbs, palms, and heels of the hands to hit the outer surface of the ghatam. An airy low-pitch bass sound, called "gumki", is created by hitting the mouth of the pot with an open hand. The artist sometimes presses the mouth of the pot against their bare belly, which deepens the tone of the bass stroke, and is another way to produce the "gumki" sound. Different tones can be produced by hitting different areas of the pot with different parts of the hands. Ghatam usually accompanies a mridangam.

Thetakudi Harihara Vinayakram (also known affectionately as Vikku Vinayakram) is a South Indian musician and exponent of the ghatam, an Indian percussion instrument. Essentially a hardened earthen pot, the ghatam is capable of making high as well as bass tones depending on the pressure of the strike and the percentage of the mouth of the pot that is covered.

Shot in Panchatann Studio in the year 1997, I simply love the way it has been edited. Vikku-ji son Mahesh Vinayakram is the vocalist for this composition.